The empty chamber of Israel’s Knesset

A planned vote in Israel’s parliament—the Knesset—to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide was suspended, casting doubt on whether the initiative will advance beyond the symbolic approval it received from the Israeli Cabinet last month.

An Israeli official confirmed the suspension to the Jerusalem News Syndicate. The Knesset is expected to begin its summer recess later this week and will remain out of session ahead of Israel’s national elections scheduled for October 27, making parliamentary approval unlikely in the immediate future.

On June 28, the Israeli Cabinet unanimously approved Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s proposal to recognize the Ottoman Empire’s systematic extermination of its Armenian population during the First World War as genocide. Sa’ar described recognition as a “moral and historical duty,” while the resolution also condemned efforts to deny or minimize the crime. The measure, however, still required approval by the Knesset to become Israel’s formal state position.

The suspension comes amid renewed regional instability and apparent efforts to reduce tensions between Israel and Turkey. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply over the war in Gaza and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s increasingly hostile rhetoric against Israel. Ankara denounced the Cabinet decision as politically motivated and continued to reject the historically documented reality of the Armenian Genocide.

The timing of both the original decision and its subsequent suspension raises serious questions about Israel’s intentions. Having avoided formal recognition for decades in order to protect its strategic relationships with Turkey and Azerbaijan, Israel moved forward only when its relations with Ankara reached a historic low.

Ankara and Baku both were quick to condemn the Israeli cabinet recognition last month. Azerbaijan described it as a distortion of history and urged Israel to reverse course.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government, on the other hand, have opted to have a hands-off approach. Pashinyan said he saw no need for Armenia to respond to the Israeli cabinet decision and said Yerevan would not participate in efforts that use Genocide recognition for political purposes.

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The European Union on Monday launched a new mission in Armenia with the aim of what it said was to “support the Armenian authorities in enhancing the country’s resilience against hybrid threats and ability to address evolving security challenges.”

The mission was approved in April and, according to a statement, “ will support Armenia’s capacity to address such hybrid challenges, including cyber threats, foreign information manipulation and interference and illicit financial flows.”

“Specifically, the mission will provide strategic advice, technical expertise and institutional capacity building to various national institutions in Armenia to address such threats, and will support a horizontal, whole-of-government approach,” the statement said.

“Last week, the EU unveiled a major economic and political support package for Armenia to help counter Russian pressure. Today, we deploy a new EU mission on the ground. EU experts will support the Armenian authorities deal with cyber threats and disinformation and countering illicit financial flows. The EU is the biggest champion of a resilient, independent Armenia and the right of the Armenian people to choose their own destiny. We’ll make sure Armenia does not face external coercion alone,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy and security chief on Monday.

The new mission was established at the request of the Armenian government and is part of “a broader and coherent EU approach, combining short and longer-term support to help strengthen Armenian national security. “

The mission, which will have an initial two-year mandate, will be headed by Cosmin George Dinescu, who began his job on Saturday.

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President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan addresses a media conference in occupied Shushi on Jul. 13

Trump Understands the ‘Necessity of Zangezur Corridor,’ Aliyev Asserts

Citing what he called “punishment,” President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan said on Monday that he was considering withdrawing his country from the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe.

Aliyev made the statement at the ironically titled Global Media Forum being held in occupied Shushi.

He claimed that after Azerbaijan forcibly “liberated” and then occupied Artsakh, PACE had taken certain steps, which he found to not be in the best interest of his country.

“In 2023, we exercised our legitimate right and liberated our territories that remained in the hands of separatists. However, they adopted resolutions to punish Azerbaijan,” Aliyev said, recalling that in January 2024, the accreditation of the Azerbaijani delegation in the PACE was questioned, after which the country was deprived of its voting rights at the assembly.

“This was simply a punishment against us, against our territorial integrity,” Aliyev reiterates. “The Azerbaijani delegation made a very wise decision. They refused to participate in the meetings. If we have no voting rights, why should we be there?”

Aliyev also asserted that since Azerbaijan had not voted for the justices presiding over the European Court of Human Rights, then any decision made by the international court would be rejected by Baku.

The Azerbaijani president went on to criticize the former European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, blaming him for the “complete collapse” of relations between Baku and the EU.

Aliyev went on to claim that an “Armenian oligarch,” whom he did not name, had paid the former Chief Justice of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno Ocampo to make pro-Armenian statements. The Azerbaijani leader did not back up any of these statements with evidence.

“An Armenian oligarch supported him[Ocampo] on matters related to Armenia. This entire anti–Azerbaijan group existed within the European Commission. We hope that Borrell has left politics once and for all. Since then, our relations have begun to improve,” Aliyev said.

In discussing the role of the United States in peace talks with Armenia, Aliyev contended that the current U.S. administration recognized the importance of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor,” saying previous American administrations wanted to maintain the status quo, which he termed “the 30-year occupation” of his country by Armenia.

“They [U.S.] fully understood our concerns regarding peace. They also clearly understood the necessity of the Zangezur Corridor linking mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and worked very effectively to convince Armenia that this peace was also important for it,” Aliyev said.

He also praised President Donald Trump, calling him “a peace-loving politician who is able to contribute to the end of conflicts.”

Aliyev said Trump “has contributed to resolving eight conflicts. This is his character, his vision and his policy. In our case as well, his role became very important when negotiations on the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agreement reached their final stage. President Trump and his team joined the process and created a framework that made peace possible.”

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Po

· JULY 13, 2026